There are certain people I like right away, and Camay Villanueva is one of them. She’s kind-hearted, engaged, and above all, has a laser sharp knack for spying the sartorial potential of, well, everything! Be sure to check out Reflekt, her style magazine that focuses “more on people than clothes”. How’s that for revolutionary? Name: Camay Villanueva Occupation: Editor-in-Chief of Reflekt Magazine What does being a Feminasty mean to you? It means a female who isn’t afraid to be un “ladylike”. You know- quiet, submissive, dependent and dainty what normal “ladies” do. Where is your favorite place to take friends in LA and why? Definitely Cafe Jack in K-town. A Titanic themed cafe with tacky sailor decor, art deco, and Titanic movie posters. The front of the cafe is a giant version of the Titanic! I constantly have to remind myself that: That I’m good enough. My favorite book is: Diana Vreeland’s “the Eye has to Travel” and “the Alchemist” by Paul Coelho. What are you working on now? Currently wrapping up the Issue º12 of Reflekt Magazine. The theme is Travel. From the fashion history of Stewardesses, curing culture shock and editorials of hitch-hikers to tourist […]
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A few weeks ago, I had the best time setting up the Feminasty Pop Up Shop at the launch party of LA Mother! LA Mother is sorta the best idea ever. I love how they describe their business: “LA Mother is the first business of its type dedicated purely to the advancement of women in the creative and business sectors. We have created a safe space to provide a platform for women in our growing community.” Basically, how could we NOT be part of that? LA Mother’s central hub is in Hollywood, surrounded as much by crazy traffic as by hills and houses balanced on stilts. It’s feminist message is magic. My friend Celina and I had a blast, hanging out, sipping mimosas, and feeling the vibe of creativity. LA Mother created a social media campaign called “Not a Dirty Word”, which invites folks to reclaim the words hurled at them in order to make them feel bad. Mine was “Yoko”. Celina’s was “boyish”. All of the contributions were installed on a large part of one of the walls for the opening. Maybe the best part? Meeting so many rad people and taking selfies with them! HELL-O! […]
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Romy was one of my models for the Feminasty Lookbook shoot back in January. I instantly liked her– she’s got a firecracker of a personality and it shows through on camera. She’s a natural. We found each other on Instagram (add her here) and she introduced herself by asking if I needed a model for the Feminasty t-shirts. TOTALLY CHARMING! Enthusiasm goes straight to my heart. Since then I’ve been Team Romy and it’s been great to watch other companies take notice of her. I asked her a few questions and this is what she had to say: What does being a Feminasty mean to you? To me being a Feminasty means being a strong woman or man who believes in full equality amongst the two genders regardless of ANYTHING! A perk would be that that individual is an artsy kickass kinda person. Where is your favorite place to take friends in LA and why? My favorite place to take my friends in LA is Hollywood Forever Cemetery. That’s my favorite place in the world and I find it so beautiful and peaceful and magical! I constantly have to remind myself that: I have to constantly remind myself that even […]
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Come hang out at LA MOTHER with me next Saturday! I’m hosting a Feminasty Pop Up Shop where you pick up your own tee– now’s the time to finally get that Burning Bra across your chest! I’ll also have a DIY station where you can get nuts on your new shirt! LA Mother is my favorite new space in the city, and I’m stoked to be part of their Exhibition Preview that night. You’ll want to check out everything they have going on– it’s gnarly, for real! Bring your friends, your children, your charming stuffed pea. This is going to be a huge event– let’s party! For more information, you can check out the event page on Facebook. I can’t wait to see you there!
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Anyone remember Livejournal? I sure do. It was social media before there was social media. When I moved to the “big city” from my tiny town for college, I knew that I needed to make some friends. I didn’t know how to really go about that in person, and so I turned to the internet. I ended up on Livejournal. My whole world changed. Livejournal (or, as we called it, “Lj”) is what it’s name proclaims: a place to keep a record of what is going on in your life. Think of it as a diary you could choose to share with the public, selected friends, or nobody at all. The perk was that you could read other folks journals as well, and in turn you could form relationships. I formed a lot of relationships. One of those was with Yvonne. I could tell right away that Yvonne was a cool girl, but not in a way that I could put my finger on. I hadn’t met anyone like her. She spoke her mind. She stuck up for herself and other women. I flipped out when I found out that she made zines and loved Morrissey. Yvonne was the badass […]
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You’ve got plans if you are in Southern California on April 24th! The Heathers Art show is a nightmare and a dream combined; over 60 artists (including me!) will be showing pieces based on the movie starring Winona Ryder and an adorable Shannen Doherty. For details, go here. I can’t wait!
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When I was creating the “Feminasty” line, I thought a lot about who I was when I started learning about feminism. I didn’t see it happening– I couldn’t pick out a distinct moment when the idea entered my life– but there was a definite shift in my thinking and awareness by the time I hit freshman year of high school. I like to credit Sassy magazine, but the truth is it was probably a convergence of forces stronger than myself that allowed my eyes and ears to be open to the message. By the time I enrolled in college, I felt angry and sad and I showed it by being sullen and sarcastic. I was competitive about shit that didn’t matter (I was a total music/art snob and would cut people off when they didn’t share my views). I understood how the world wasn’t built for me but didn’t know what I was capable of, save for making myself feel better by making someone feel bad. I don’t have a “transformation” story for you here. I know I’ve changed but it’s been close to 15 years since I started out at the Fresno State University campus. I will say that […]
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Luxury Jones Melrose: Cutest. Boutique. Evs. Here’s the thing about LA: it’s so often so much more than what you expect it to be when you move here. Yes, there’s that layer of artificiality that everyone OUTSIDE of LA mentions; looks are important, there are dudes that only care about what they want and women who couldn’t care less about what the aftermath is of going after something. But if that’s all you focus on, that’s all you’ll see– which really leaves a lot of the power of this glittering city of hustle in your own hands. What you get is loads of exploratory opportunity. I’d been peeping this new boutique called Luxury Jones on Instagram for the past three months and finally checked it out on Sunday. My friend Augusta works there now so I thought it would be the perfect time to scope out the place in person. I had my own apprehensions about the store before I even arrived. As a tall, bootylicious woman, I banked on my choices being limited to shoes and sunglasses. Que sera sera. You know how it goes. It turns out that I wasted time even acknowledging this concern. Here’s the […]
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There are things I definitely love: coconut milk ice cream, vanilla scents, head rubs, and maps. Maps are an odd selection because I am perpetually lost; not by any intention but by my own lack of directional aptitude. That said, I love the intention of maps. Every line, every word has a reason for being printed. I also love that you can map so many different things and they are their own form of communication. Maybe not simple, but they are definitely saying something. Since moving to LA, I’ve thought more about maps than I ever thought I would. I depend on them almost every day and while that doesn’t make me any better at navigating, it does help me to figure out my relationship to the city. Right now, our relationship is one of deep, full throttle love, particularly on the eastside, where I live. Here’s a map of some of my favorites on this side of town. It’s a perfect day: great eats, beautiful vegetation, amazing thifting. Where are some of your favorite places on Los Angeles’ east side?
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Sandra’s a total sweetie– she commissioned this portrait of her husband, Bryan, and herself for their wedding anniversary. Daisies, pets, music, and books? I was all over this one! When I create portraits of multiple people, it’s really important for me to get a feel for who they are as a couple, rather than just as two unique individuals. During the consultation I offer in all of my portrait packages, I really dig in and go deep. What makes the relationship special? What special moments were pivot points for change? Sandra and Bryan are both thoughtful, sharing people. It made sense to keep colors and lines delicate for the two of them. Sandra and Bryan, happiest of anniversaries to you! May you stay loaded up on delicious vinyl and the smell of books for eternity! <3 xo P.S. You can get your own portrait here. Heads up– now’s the time to place your order, if you want it in plenty of time for the holidays!
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Here’s the deal with sporting a hair color like blue on your noggin: you’re gonna get a ton of attention. Strangers will look. Babies will coo. Kids will ask if you hang out with My Little Ponies. You’ll regularly be asked, “How did you do that?” and “What did your husband/boss say when you came home like that?” (Answer to that last one: “I love it” and…nothing. Because I am lucky enough to work somewhere where my boss cares about my work, not my hair.) I used to try to explain. Bleach. Lots of time. And then color. And re-dying, over and over again. They’d look at me, befuddled. Couldn’t it be simpler? Easier? Less complicated? I mean, it’s just hair, right? So now I just tell them to see my genius stylist, Tanya Ramirez. I give them her contact info and tell them that she’s a total game changer. Which is no exaggeration. The truth is, Tanya and I spend a lot of time on my hair. I was her hair model for a while, and I loved it. I really think she has the ability to assess not only the type of person you are, but the person […]
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